


That Warm Feeling

by ApocalypticNuisance



Category: Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Diesel 10’s amazing jersey accent, Diesel’s got a crush, M/M, Mild Language, terribly written by me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-12 17:16:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19949929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApocalypticNuisance/pseuds/ApocalypticNuisance
Summary: Diesel’s got a crush and has a little trouble telling that engine how he feels. But nothing gets past Diesel 10.





	That Warm Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo reading fanfics for this show has pulled me down a rabbit hole I might never escape from. There’s not enough content of D10/Diesel so here’s my crappy attempt to provide. 
> 
> And if anyone wants to turn this into an episode/fancontent on Youtube, feel free!

Diesel was one of the most mischievous engines on the Island of Sodor. He’s played more tricks and gotten into more trouble than he could count, and yet the Fat Controller still found it fair to keep him around. Granted, the jobs he did regularly rarely involved passengers or other engines, so as long as he was working hard, his cheeky pranks would go unnoticed or wouldn’t be a big deal to Fat Hatt. Besides, he was still a ‘really useful engine’ as Thomas put it and just because he had to let off some steam (metaphorically, of course) it didn’t mean he was useless.

The black box hadn’t done anything mischievous in a long while. The Island was rather busy this summer as there were many festivals and special events that had been planned. The engines were working hard to keep things on track. One mistake and the whole thing would be derailed, setting everyone back significantly and pushing back any special events that Sir Topham had planned. Luckily, things were right on time as usual ...for awhile.

A big storm had swept over the island the night before and debris and trash were everywhere! Most of the work ran fine, but some lines were entirely blocked. Sir Topham Hatt had figured that would be the case and arrived at the Dieselworks early that morning to find the two diesel he thought could do the job. Most of the diesels were just waking up, getting ready for work and all that, but Topham had arrived just before any of them had left. 

He steps into the dieselworks, watching as the large doors to a certain engine’s lonely shed opened up and a big mustard-brown colored warship oiled out into the open. “Diesel 10!” He calls, causing the drowsy diesel to jolt his eyes open and clank his claw.

“Uuuhh, wha-? Huh?” He looked around, surprised to hear a voice when he couldn’t see a face to match it with. But when he looks down, he recognizes that familiar top hat. “Oh. It’s you.”

“Yes, it is me. Diesel 10, I’m sure you heard that storm last night. Lots of lines are blocked and I think you and your big claw will finally get some use. I’d like you and Diesel to go around the Island today collecting whatever debris you find and taking it to the dump. Things need to be moving like clockwork! The big Boat Float Festival is this weekend and if we don’t finish the preparations, there wont be a Boat Float at all.”

It was strange having Fat Hatt give him a job face-to-face, but Ten would rather get out of his shed and stretch his many wheels than sit here all day and watch other engines huff and puff around the dieselworks. Especially when they’re all busy, so there’s no one for him to boss around personally! “Yes, sir.”

“Good! Thank you, Diesel 10” The railway controller went back to his car and drove off, leaving the warship behind to silently contemplate his life at whatever hour it was. Then he slid onto the turntable and was lowered to the tracks, moving to the other sheds to find Diesel. 

Diesel was silently humming by the fuel station, dozing in the sun as he refueled for the day. His eyes were closed and he was humming something about being ‘full of surprises’. It was only when something snapped in his face that his eyes opened wide and he jolted slightly, “WAAAH!!” His fear was short-lived though, as the familiar sneer of the big bad ‘boss’ and his companion Pinchy sat right in his face. “What was that for?” 

“Fat Hatt has a job for us. Quit singin’ and get your fuel already so we can get this over with,” 

Despite what other engines think, Diesel had always adored Ten. At first it was simple admiration for almost destroying all magic on Sodor, but then it developed into something ...more. And while Diesel himself couldn’t understand what those feelings were, he knew they were important. Ten may be the big, bad boss of the diesels around here, but he was mostly a gentle giant. To those he considered friends, anyway. And that was most, if not all, of the diesel engines. Yes, even Salty and Mavis were considered his friends even if they themselves were in cahoots with the steamies. Ten would never admit it himself, but he was glad to be surrounded by others that he could considered friends and family, especially after being cooped up and all alone for so many years after his failed attempt to destroy that cursed Lady. But he was over all of that now. Mostly. A little bit. Diesel was his biggest admirer and it was a little intriguing to see the smaller engine barely flinch when he threatened to turn him to scrap metal with Pinchy. Instead, he’d stare wide-eyed at his claw like it was magic itself. 

The diesel snorts, starting up his engine once he was finished fueling up and following the warship back to the turntable, watching the bigger engine turn around. “You don’t have to threaten me to get me going, y’know.” 

He couples up to a line of empty cars and follows the larger diesel out of the dieselworks and down the line without another word.

It was early afternoon by the time Diesel felt restless. He had been quietly watching as Ten took his time, crunching up debris they would find and then tossing it into the empty freight cars until they were full. Which, surprisingly, took awhile. That claw was more useful than Diesel once thought. The warship would crush up every ounce of trash and make it as small as possible before setting it down in the cars, filling them up one by one. The train was rather heavy when it was full, so Ten had to couple up behind and help Diesel take everything to the dump. Once the cars were emptied, the two were on their way once again, patrolling and looking for more work to do. A few other engines they passed by had informed them of where to go next and, despite the side eyes they were given, they quietly followed their suggestions. It was probably Diesel 10, wasn’t it? He rarely left the dieselworks, so it makes sense that most engines, especially steamies, would flinch and jump out of their paintwork when they see him rolling down the line. The amount of shocked faces Diesel had counted was almost ridiculous.

But now that they had a good groove going, Diesel was getting bored. He hated routine. He could only stand so much of it before he wanted to play some pranks. And sure enough, as Ten started to load up some of the empty cars, Diesel started to rock back and forth on his wheels. They were in a siding and the cars were causing trouble as always, so Diesel - being the genius he was - thought that giving them a bump would help his impatient urges and shut the cars up. 

But he overestimated how hard he needed to roll.

Most of the cars were empty, but Diesel had forgotten all about that and rammed the cars as hard as he could. While the cars flew backwards into a pair of buffers, Diesel was accidentally sent down a different siding at full speed and he crashed through a pair of buffers. The wood splintered behind him and slowed him down just enough that only his back end went tumbling off the line and into a dirty, sticky puddle of mud. Mud that was still wet from the rain the previous night.

“Ugh!! Oh….” he groaned in defeat, knowing he had made a mistake. The trucks weren’t damaged and he wasn’t either, but his ego sure was bruised. The trucks cackled, starting to sing a taunting song as Ten rolled back to see the damage.

The warship couldn’t help but crack a smile, trying his best not to laugh at someone he called a friend. But the trucks song was a bit funny. He snorts, biting his lip to muffle any sort of undignifying giggles that threaten to escape.

“Don’t fucking laugh at me!!!” The smaller diesel practically whined. “Get me out of here before I sink and the mud damages my engine! Sir Topham Hatt will kill me!”

Taking pity on the poor mischievous Diesel, Ten clamped his claw as gently as he could around him and lifted him out of the sticky, icky mud and back onto the rails again. When he let go, he realizes he had scraped away a bit of Diesel’s nice, black paint and felt a bit sorry for a moment before realizing Diesel wasn’t James and probably wouldn’t care if his paint was damaged.

“We shall never speak of this to anyone.” Diesel grunts, trying to calm down his flushed face. For some reason, having Ten save him without a second thought made his insides ...warm. It was an unusual kind of warm, different than the warm feeling he gets as his engine turns on during the cold winter months. This was more of a fuzzy sort of warm. And it bothered him that he couldn’t figure out why it was happening.

“Oh no, trust me. I would never tell Fat Hatt about all a’dis. He’d have our heads fer causin’ trouble when he’s got so much shit to do.”

“Right. Then, uh, we should…..get back to work.” Diesel tries to sound confident, but his voice sure is wobbly.

It doesn’t go unnoticed either. Ten raises an eyebrow at the sudden shift in pitch and, instead of teasing him about it, he moves his claw over to gently caress the side of the other’s face. “You caaaaaan, uh, go get a wash down if ya want. I’ve still got a lot a’ debris to crunch up and stick in these trucks. So no one’ll notice if yer gone.”

“Oh. That's ...a good idea. Then Sir Topham Hatt wont know I even did anything bad!” the smaller diesel grins widely and purrs down the line to the nearest wash down. But before he was out of earshot, he pauses and gives Diesel 10 a quick thank you for saving him. “Thanks! That claw of yours just gets better and better!” And with that, he’s out of sight. Too bad, too. He missed the way Ten’s face lit up a brilliant shade of red, caught off guard by the compliment. He never got complimented. It made his insides warm, just as his good deed did to Diesel.

The two worked hard for the rest of the day, and when evening came, the island was still busy. But Ten and Diesel were finally finished with their work for the day. All debris was cleared, mountains of truckloads of trash had been taken to the dump by the diesel engines, and it felt good to do a good job for the day! As Ten started to head back to the dieselworks, Diesel was stopped by Sir Topham Hatt and asked to take a line of trucks to the scrapyards before heading home. Diesel agreed, if only to put some space between himself and the warship since his mind had been on him all day.

He took his time with the trucks, so much so that darkness soon blanketed the island and he had to turn on his lamp to see where he was going. While he slithered down the line, he came upon a familiar green shape sitting at a coal station and he came to a stop next to him, recognizing it as Percy the little green goblin. Not that he’d call him a goblin out loud, he was well past that insult and respected the little green guy for helping them fix up the dieselworks.

“Diesel?” Came the little engine’s squeaky voice, “What are you doing out so late?”

“Oh, Topham told me to take these to the scrapyard.”

“Why’d you stop here?”

“I just ...wanted to say hello and, uh, maybe…...ask you something.”

Percy smiles, “I’m happy to help! What do you need?”

Despite his former confidence, Diesel felt himself falter and look down at the tracks beneath him. Even if Percy couldn’t see his gaze, he was still embarrassed for asking what he thought was a dumb question. 

“I wanted to know if, uh, feeling all warm and ...tingly was normal.”

“Of course, silly! It’s very normal during the winter! You start up your engine and get nice and toasty and-“

“-Actually! Actually, uh, I meant ...warm and tingly when you’re around a certain engine?”

It’s silent for a moment before the tank engine’s eyes lit up, “Ooooohhhh!!! Diesel! You have a crush!”

“A-A what!?”

“You’re in love!”

“I-I-In-??”

“Love! You’ve got feelings for someone! Who is it?”

The diesel shuts up then, his face lighting up in the darkness. He was in love? With….Diesel 10? He wanted to deny it but no, it made absolute sense! He didn’t just admire the warship, he was in love with him! The warmth he felt when he was nearby, the way he stared unashamed, how he found his strange Jersey accent attractive. It all made sense.

“Ummm …Diesel?”

“Huh?”

“Are you going to tell me who it is?”

“No! No. Uh, thanks for your help, Percy, but I don’t think I want to tell anyone how I feel.”

“Except for them?” The tank engine asks, raising a knowing eyebrow. “You should tell them.”

“I-I just might have to. If only to make this weird feeling go away,” And with that, the diesel purred off into the distance, leaving Percy in the siding, trying to guess who Diesel’s crush was.

Diesel’s job was done quickly after that and he quietly trundled back into the dieselworks. It was eerily quiet. Everyone was asleep. Perfect! No one would hear him admit his feelings like a sensitive steamie. Instead of heading to the sheds as he usually would, he quietly wormed his way onto the raising turntable and let it raise up. He was face-to-face with a snoring Diesel 10.

“Ten?”

Nothing.

“Tenny?”

This time Ten twitched his nose but kept his eyes closed. As far as Diesel knew, he was a heavy sleeper.

“Well I suppose this is as good a time as any.” Diesel hesitates, but knows he has to say how he feels or else he would never be at peace. “Ten, I ...feel things. About you. More than I, uh, think I should. I appreciate you always being so willing to help me out like you did earlier today and it, uh, it made me kinda …warm? Warm. Yes. It made me warm. Inside. I-I talked to Percy earlier and he helped me realize that maybe I, uh, I might ...love you. Be in love with you. Anyway, it’s late and, uh, goodnight Ten.”

Getting all of that off his chest was a huge relief. Diesel sighed, letting the turntable lower him back onto the tracks and his shaky wheels take him back to his own cozy shed where he could hopefully forget all about this and move on. Even if it would be hard. But as he left, he hadn’t noticed a small, gentle smile creep onto Diesel 10’s face.

The next morning was more of the same. Lucky for them, there wasn’t another storm and since the Boat Float Festival was this afternoon, there wasn’t much for the diesels today as the island had already prepared all they could and most of the engines would be back to their normal duties. So here was Diesel once again, shunting and punting trucks in the sidings at the dieselworks to get them ready for the others if they needed them. The trucks were up to their old tricks, laughing and teasing Diesel about his accident the other day. Gossip spread fast.

While it was annoying, Diesel was used to it and continued to ignore the cars. Even if it was uncomfortably silent in the works today. All he could hear was his own thoughts, which had just devolved into a spiral of worry. What if he never had a real chance to tell Ten how he felt for real? He didn’t feel better after last night at all! In fact, he might feel worse. It was like he cheated himself out of actually confessing! There’s no way he could pluck up the courage to actually confess once again, this time to Diesel 10’s conscious face. Especially at the thought of those eyes staring straight into his own. It made his wheels wobble with worry.

His thoughts had distracted him, and just like the day prior, he bumped the cars much too hard. The cars, seeing their chance, whooped and cheered as they went flying down the siding and toward the main tracks. Diesel, having snapped out of his worried daze, frantically follows behind. 

“Come back!!!” He calls, as if that would somehow persuade the empty cars to willingly stop their rampage. 

But the cars didn’t listen and with a loud cheer, they derailed right where the points were as the points were facing the main rails and the trucks couldn’t get anywhere. Diesel, speeding after them, couldn’t stop in time and derailed as well, crashing into the trucks and bouncing to a stop. The devious diesel groans and gives a defeated sigh. “Oh, not again!”

The commotion had caught the attention of Ten, who was trying to doze idly in his own shed. But Diesel’s frantic shouts had bothered him immensely and soon he was out into the sunlight, surveying the damage. He pulls up alongside his derailed companion and stares. Diesel, who had desperately hoped Ten wouldn’t be the one to come find him like this, was red in the face and avoiding eye contact.

But he could feel the warship’s gaze on him.

“What, uh, what are you staring at? Aren’t you going to help me?? Topham will get annoyed if he finds me like this! I can’t just sit here all d-“

“Say what you said last night again and I’ll help ya,”

Diesel spluttered, “W-What?!”

“You heard me.”

“Y-You heard me?” Diesel practically squeaked, eyes wide and red in the face.

“Of course I did! Your nasal-y voice can wake any engine up,” Ten snorts, quite amused with his little quip.

“I-I-!”

“Say it again. Please?”

Oh. Well when he says please it’s hard to say no. Even if Diesel’s as embarrassed as someone who walked in on Topham changing.

“I-I said that I, uh, that I think I ...love you.”

The deafening silence is killing him. It’s much easier to admit your feelings in a simple sentence than pouring your heart out when you’re tongue tied and just realized how you feel. I mean, it’s only day two for Diesel but he’s kinda stuck in a rock and a hard place.

It takes everything in him not to ramble out some sort of apology. But he chances a look at Ten’s face and to his surprise, the warship is grinning. A wide, genuine smile crosses his face and before he can point i out, Pinchy is grasping at his front end and helping him back onto the rails. 

“You should’ve said somethin’ before.”

“I…. didn’t know until yesterday.”

“I figured you wouldn’t tell me to my face unless you were forced to.” Then Ten gives a satisfied hum, “I think I like you too. But don’t be weird about it and tell the others-“

“You think I’d rat myself out like that?! Besides, no one would take you seriously as our ‘great and glorious leader’.” He says, as if using air quotes. 

That causes the warship to chuckle, not a sinister chuckle or a dark chuckle, but a hearty, heartfelt one. “Let’s get these cars cleaned up. Ya need any help with any other jobs?”

Diesel blinks, letting the warm feeling settle inside of him once again. But instead of causing him to freak out or overheat, he actually feels rather content. He likes the feeling now. It’s very much welcome whenever he hangs around Diesel 10 now. 

“Are you just asking because you, uh, want to hang out with me?”

“Pretty much,” Ten answers, using his claw to fix the mess with the cars and put them back on the rails with ease. “If you’re busy, I can just follow you around. Like a date, but work.”

That caused the smaller diesel to laugh, “You’ve got yourself a yes! I’ve got to head to the docks soon and it would be a lot more fun with you around,”

The diesels smile at each other, that familiar warmth settling over them both. 

Before they can say anything else, Paxton slides into the dieselworks and upon seeing the mess being fixed and the two terrifying diesels smiling wide at each other, decides to just sidle on into the sheds without a word. They deserve to be happy.


End file.
